Clearing out the clutter

In my living room right now is a 63 gallon deck storage box filled with a bunch of plastic toys and other junk. All this stuff was donated by parents of my kid's preschool class for a fund-raising auction I have been gradually roped into doing more and more tasks for. Soon, it will be gone from my living room, and I can't wait—but first I have to decorate it.

Now, as I blogged about before, I am all for getting involved in the kids' schools and lending a helping hand. And, really, at the end of the day, having all this crap in my house for a week or so, schlepping to the store for supplies to round it out and schlepping it to the country club (gag!) to drop it off is really not that big of a deal. But, I have to admit, the focus on all the stuff is rubbing me the wrong way, and I question whether the results are everything I would hope for.

I wrote in my past post about how participating in these school activities builds community, but I guess I am a little disappointed in how that's been working out this time around. I was left off a key e-mail about an early meeting and then brought in at the last minute. And, a couple times when I've seen these moms who are in charge of this at school, who know each other better than me, they still continue to talk amongst themselves without making an effort to give me an entreé into the conversation. One just barrels around blabbing on her cell phone and gives a nod. OK. Now I know I am sounding like one of those overly sensitive women that annoy me so much, but I'm just sayin'.

I got involved in this thing in the first place because one of my friends/acquaintances in the neighborhood mentioned that they needed someone to do graphic design for save-the-date postcards and the auction catalog. I thought it would be a fun way to get involved and help and also give some exposure to my business. I would also agree to try and get the materials printed for free or deeply discounted through my business contacts.

At the first meeting I went to, red flags went off in my head as I sat through an explanation of how committee members are supposed to go forth into the community and solicit donations. Not my thing. They said you could ask for donations at all the places you usually went shopping, or where you got your hair cut or massages, etc. They mentioned you could give things away that you might have two of. For example one lady got her parents a GPS for Christmas, but it turned out they already had one so maybe she would donate this $150 GPS. (I get my hair cut about three times a year and a massage maybe once or twice a year, maybe. And I don't buy my parents $150 gifts and if I had an extra one, I'd return it and get my money back. Who are these people, I wondered. What kind of wild-spending bourgeois crowd am I posing in?) They also said on the day of the auction they all hire babysitters (often their husbands take the day off work, they say...seriously????) so they can set up. I knew right then and there that that level of involvement would not be for me, but I still wanted to help with the graphics. I said as much, very politely, but somehow I got cajoled into soliciting donations and coordinating the aforementioned class "basket" of plastic junk, as well. No problem, whatev. But, I am not doing set up day of. I have paid client work I need to do! Once I get rid of this box and deliver the catalogs I coordinated, I am done. I am superwoman and can always find time to do my part. Many of these ladies are doing so much more. But, I say, each person makes a choice of what they want to do, each person should be able to give of their time and talents as they see appropriate. So, I will not be doing anything other than the graphics next year, if asked, and I will stand firm.

Now, back to the stuff. This is my real philosophical problem with the whole event. Like I said, I can deal with the stupid busy-work and things that aren't really me or my style. But, the attainment and exchange of all this junk just bugs me like crazy. Does anyone really need $200 worth of random plastic yard toys, balls, bubbles, chintzy glassware, drink mix, and more plastic, plastic, plastic stuff in their lives? (And that's just one class basket, there is so much more!) I guess they do because those involved seem stoked about this, unless they are just faking it like me. The whole notion of shopping as entertainment, which is what an auction of this sort is about, also is something I don't like. It's like a bunch of people with too much wealth are just shuffling their wealth back and forth. If the school needs money, aren't there other things we can do that are more satisfying? Or, maybe they could just raise the tuition a little and we could do other activities together as moms that would be more edifying—maybe like simple things, like volunteering in a way that could involve our kids more and teach them and all of us about other people who might actually need stuff?

A final thing about this that's gotten on my nerves is that its taken time away from me spending it with my child. And, after all, that's the most important thing to me.

I'm probably just being bitchy. But that's me, and I'm entitled. I am also entitled after this learning experience of participation this year, to clear the clutter from my life—both literally and metaphorically—and opt not to do it next year.